Giving Away Our Markets

The New York Tribune compliments Senator McMillan of this state very hinïily over his tariff speech in the senate recently, and devotes nearly twn columns oï tlie Set urda y Tribune, tovering some of the strongest and inturesting points brought out. The Tribune eays : Ja.mes McMillan, of Michigan. whOse Intímate knowledge of the cünditioiiü existing along the borders of the Uadtea States and Canada entibies Ik in to speak as a recognized auth'.irity. eonfineil bis talk to-day to the efleïts of the propose ddemocratic legislattöo on trade and industry each shli' of the Canadlan line. Tlie' i-ln-e relations whieh have apparently '.■xi-u'ii iiiMwcrn the fraaners oï the new Canadian tarlff have several times Ih'cii hmted at In the course of present debute, but Senator MeMillan igoee finther than mere hints and undertakes in Iiis speeeü today tu show that ithe Wileooa bill is practiaally the administratlon's pari in ;t to revive by co-ordinate 1 gislatiom in the two oountries, the reelpr eity treaty ol 1854 wliich waa abrogated by this government in 1867 at the dcmauds of the boards of trade of Chicago, Mfl-waukee, Detroit, Os( ■ ,-i i i oi her cities. Dev 1 i, ::■- tnis Une oí argumi n.. ■ i Mich gab .■■-■n itor i ontliíúed in j one oí iii' most interes bing and i structive speeches oí the present bate. Hf said in part : A i-ompari.-on between the AVilson bilí, as it comes ïrom the House, and tli" iiriv Ganadian tariff shows how close am understanding must have isted between the franiers of the two mensures. In eacli bilí lumber, buckwheat, rye and rye ílour and corn are put on the free list -vhen imported i'rom any country which admite these artlcles free of duty. Canada.offers to place apples, and beans, peas, potatoesi hay, vegetables, and barley on Jier free list wherever other countries do the saine, and the Wilson bilí places apples and jaeas on the free list absolutely. Eg-gs and salt are made free Ín both countries, and the United States offers Canada free oatmeal, wheat and wheat flour in exchange for like i'avors. Ores and metáis are on both free lists, and so is wool. It is Intereeting tXS note that the party In t lite country which Is olfering these concessions to Canada is the party whleh has denounced the policy oí proteetlon us imcons: i: ín ionai, and which is now theoretically engaged in makuig a tariff for revenue only. On the other hand, the party in Canada whieh is meeting the AiiH'i-icau free-traders half way is awwediy the party of high proieetion nad is still engaged in building up what is known in Canada as the National po'.ic-y, one oliject of which is to onake that country independent of this. The Canadians have made no mistakes. They admlt free of duties only those coimmodities in the proteotion of which they have so much the I advantage of us as to prevent us froan ' entering tlieir markets. They secure froou us unlimited markets for their surplus produots. For these favo is they rïive no concessions in their tariif oa manufactured articles, but sti'l malntnin tlieir duties at the proliibitive point, and they even go so íar as to place abounty of $2 a ton on iron manufaotured from the serap or p!g. For the last fit'teen years Canada has been pursuing the policy oí shuttlng the Ainerlean farmer and mnnuïactuiei- out of her markets. Hoiv sucoess uli &he was is told by her fiaance minister in liis speech on presenting the ni-w tarlil me;iure. "In 1878," says Mr. Foster, "tae people of the United States ïound in Canada :i market Cor agrieultural producís and animáis and tlu'ii; produce to the value of over $16,000,000 ; in 1893 the cutire importe into Canada of such products iii.iounted to les-; Miau $3,000,000." Xm only has Canada shui our farmers out of lier markets, 8Ue bas ;'-; appeared as out competitor in -the markets of Europe. More th.au this, she has entered our own markets, and in spite of the duties, lias finnly established her trade ia eompetition with the American farmer in the marte of ünlted Sta ■]',,■ American farmer Ie now sufferlng i'rom over supply of liis j auets i ii tho markets oí the world, and yet tbe Wüsoo bill p-roposes entirely tu break down barrlers whleh have to eojne exton.1 preserved bo our ira-n people thelr home markete. Tüè Caiiüliüu farmer lias a doublé advantage over his nelghbor acroes the haxbor. First, hifi land is worth much lc s than the lan l of hiscompetitur, ;nia, Beièondly, he pays lus labor at least 50 per cout. kss than American labor ,is paid. To glve Canadian cities or provincea a freo or praotically Eree and convcnleat market for thélt produc-ts, whüe obtaiining nothiag in return, is not stateemaiishlp, to say be least. We are aiot left ifco guesswork, nor yet to tlie figures of treasury experts 10 i'intl luw the AVil-on bill voul;l affect tha trade relations between ilii country and Canada. The Wilson bill is a virtual attempt ï obtain by co-ordinate legielation in ilie two cöuntrl s tlie reviva] ol t be in ovlsioas oí - !ie reciprccity toeaty of 1854. In so í.ir is the pending measiire (e ils with Canada 11 ie open to all Khe ol)jections wbicli led to ogation oí tfiat More ílian , the settled and avowt'd policy oï Canada aow being tu builil lip Jipi' owd manufactures by shnttiniig out those oí olherjiatimis, tliere is now no such excuse íor op: ning otir markets to ('an.ula's natural producís as tliere was in 1854, wiii'ii ii;at country knposed lut nominal dutlea 011 manufacturera. The resuls of the reciprocity treaty, however, shonld be eulficient warnlng ag-üiaist any endeavor to revive it. ïlu'v were a warning tu Mr. Blalne. The leading feature of the treaty negotiated by Sec'y Macy and .Lord Elgsa was thatth natural producís cf the United States and Canada should be admitted to eacli country respectively free of duty. At the time the treaty took effect (Sept. 11, 1S54) Canadi'in duties on manu:actured articles varied from 5 to 11 1-2 per cent. WitMn three years Canuda liad placed duties of from 62 1-2 to 100 per cent, on our leadlng manufactures. The effect of these ulereases was to cut down our exports to tliat country from over $20,000,000 in 1856 to lees thnn .■?ia,000,000 in JS63. Of the $239,000,000 worth of Canadian producía which entered the United States durtag the contlnuance of the tieaiy, 94 per cent. tame in ïree, ■wis Uu but 56 percent of the American products suld to Canada crossed barder -without paylng heavy I utO. Luiinf the twelvè years in wMeh the tr&aty was in ioree the eutire sales oï .the iieople of thls country to our Canadlan neighbors aggregated lete by $26,000,000 than the goods wMcii the Camadians were eoiabled by the treaty to sell to tlie L'nited Stateii. It ia too mueh the cu-tom in this country to belittle the resources and oapabülties of our igorous and enterprising neighbor ou the ïiortli. These markets the Wilsom bilí proposes to open and none are more surprised at the oïfer than are the unionissts of Canada. Jlr. Elgin JJcyers, Q. C, of Toronto, in an addre.-s delirered before the Michigan ülub on May 24, 1893, sald : "'Reform politicians are now te.Lng the people of Canada tliat there is with the present Cleveland admlnlstratiou a chance of destroymg t he tariti wall tliat separates Canada from the United ritates. Weli, 11 you are wültQg to glve Canadian.3 all the benefits of the American continen. witliout their agsuiniaig any oï its responslbilitlée it wLl be aaiother iaidicat.un tliat you are a great-h arte;l people .'ina no one would rejoii-e it proëperlty shoiild lo.lmv more ;h:m the unioniBts oí Canada. It woulU poetpone unión íor same time." To cali a nat ion good natured is the same is saying tliat its reputed -iatsi!i:]L are ingnöramuseSj whieh .n so ïar as the framers oï the Wilson bill are conceraecl, eeeina 10 be the general opiaion also in tliis eoúntry. In the short and eharp polltleaJ bal I Ie which was foyght in Canada in 1890 the Torie.s took thelr and Eor reciproolty with the ünlted States, limiied to the natural produeta of both countries. Tne Liberáis were beat vu in y by a narrow majority on the i sae i ! ■ i s i lie cuïI om liousi S along the border Ironi the Atlaaitle bo the Paciiic be aboUslietl and that a uniform tarifi' Ie.' made for both countri se. It la politi'jal, not commercial, union that pTomlses the gseatest advanti ges to both couutrles. Bu1 pol piaal unión would dot Canada with Ainerleau cltles, enla.rgiag our markets aaid augmentdng the opportunifor employment. "o can can :omih ui:ïl uit' uihuuoüc uratíny oí Canada Is to beeome a part of 'in ■ Doited States. That day wil! be a welaome one to iiu' people of Michigan, vrtio are now hemmed in on ih' east by a territory with wliioh tlicrc are ao fair exchanges. To the people oï the Dominion also il -nnion with the Iniied Staten would be advautageous in the lilgliest degree. Thy would awalcea to ilnd themsrlvi's wealthy and prosperous beynnnd all present possibilities. To ilii' Tory party of Canada, annexation means annlhllatlon. To them Ui tlieir extremlty the Wlleon bi'l comes - as it comes to every toreign nation- brlaging joy in the prospect of larger markets and greater pirotitej whlle in oiir own people it portion ia smaller wages and restrieted activi: tiee.